Honoring Our Soldiers Trapper Peak Winery, L.L.P.

I would like to tell you a little bit about our son. Brad was born on Sept 13, 1982. He was always an inquisitive, determined, and friendly little guy who thought it was his job to make other people laugh. This, of course, got him into a lot of trouble with teachers who thought it was his job to sit still and be quiet. I think the teachers were often frustrated because he was exceedingly smart, and was always able to get A's in school even when it looked like he was not paying attention. When we moved to North Carolina, we homeschooled Brad for the last three years of high school, a wonderful time of sharing and learning to love each other. He received two scholarships to the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, and attended for three semesters after he graduated from high school in June of 2000.

And then we had September 11, 2001. Most of us were affected in some way by the events of that day. Brad left his scholarship at NCSU the next semester and enlisted in the army after those brutal and devastating attacks. He did not make the decision lightly, knowing that combat was likely in a post 9/11 world. He felt that our national security was of the highest importance. He made it through Basic Training at Fort Knox despite a knee dislocation, earning the respect of his drill sergeants. Advanced Training at Aberdeen Proving Ground gave him specialized training as a mechanic for the M-109 Paladin Howitzers.

Brad was sent to Korea and served there from November 2002 to May 2004. During this time he earned several commendations, including the Army Achievement Medal. When Brad found out that his unit was not being deployed to Iraq, he volunteered to transfer into the unit that was being deployed from Korea to Iraq. This was several months after the grisly televised beheading of Nick Berg. His feeling was that it was important to be there, and that it was what he was trained for. They trained all summer and deployed in August to spend three weeks in Kuwait before moving into Ramadi. Brad was given the job of monitoring radio transmissions, but once again volunteered to take on the more dangerous reconnaissance missions outside the wire.

On October 14, 2004 Brad was killed in action when an IED was detonated at the fortified overwatch position at Ogden Gate. The shrapnel pierced his Kevlar helmet and his skull. He died of massive head trauma from a perforating projectile, in the clinical terms of the death certificate.

Brad saw things we can't imagine and will never have to see. In one of our last conversations, he spoke to me of the plight of the children there in Iraq, who are often sent out to beg, with orders not to return to their homes unless they get the proper amount of money. I simply cannot imagine their lot in life. Brad died in the hope that they would have a better future. His blood now stains their soil in the hope that theirs will not.

Some of the soldiers who knew Brad have written to us.

"Your son was an awesome guy. He was well respected among all the mechanics"

"Beard was a quite funny guy. He knew what to say at the right moment when we needed a laugh"

"Spc. Beard was a kind person. He was always helping others. It didn't matter if the two of you had been on bad terms, if you needed help he would try to help"

"He could always brighten a bad or unpleasant situation."

His commander said:

"Beard was one of those soldiers that always set the standard. He was an energetic and dedicated soldier willing to do more than the minimum and certainly all that was required. To the Army he was a soldier. To the battalion he was a warrior. To all of us in the Service Battery, he was our friend. We will miss him."

To Randy and me, he was our only son. To Staci, he was her only brother. We miss him, too, more than words can express.

Betsy Beard
Mom of Spc. Bradley Beard, deployed to heaven and greatly missed on earth